Interesting run this morning. Cool - the temperature dipped below 10 deg which meant the leg warmers got their first workout for the year. Caught up to another rider as we passed through Hornsby and we both commented on the cold start to the day. I take a slightly more circuitous route near Wahroonga to avoid a right hand turn with poor sight lines where I’ve had a close call or two so he got in front, but we met up again on the run through Wahroonga towards the highway. We were following two cars moving quite slowly who without warning pulled left and then they both U-turned in front of us. We had to stop pretty sharply, the other rider gave them a sharp ‘Oi!’and got the usual blank response from the second driver. Fast run down the highway to Turramurra where we met up again, waiting to cross onto Kissing Point Rd. Another fast run down KPR, only to meet up yet again at the lights at Comenarra Parkway. Just goes to show that traffic lights can really kill your average speed. It was lucky I took it easy on the run down to Brown’s Waterhole, as I encountered a car driving very slowly down the bike path. There is council work going on in the area and they were using the path to get access. There was also roadworks at West Ryde with a lady on stop/go duty. She was stopping cars as I approached, but she could see that a bike could ride through safely and not get in the way, so she waved me on. Most appreciated. And finally, turning onto the bike path at Meadowbank to cross the bridge, I very nearly collided head-on with a rider who was on my side of the path around a blind corner. He was riding two abreast with a companion and didn’t think to move to single file for the corner –

But the weather was beautiful – and forecast to be that way for a few more days yet. This really is a lovely time to be on the bike.

Absolutely gorgeous weather this morning, dolphins browsing in the shallows, pelicans gliding across the glassy water by the Kwinana PSP ... What better day for a free extra 6km due to suddenly becoming convinced for all the world I'd left the stove on. Tried to think it out & shake the urgent sense of impending doom, couldn't, turned tail and headed back to base.

I hadn't left it on. I never do!

jasonc, more speedy recovery vibes to your friend, no fun at all there ...

As for cars, I only ride 850m of road on my end of week detour via favoured bakery on way to work.http://goo.gl/maps/RBrh4

It's downhill, dual lanes one way, and riding at car speeds, but still enough for an incident.

Managed to be ahead of a grey Golf weaving through traffic trying to force through the traffic slug cutting people off, tailgating, in order to run the approaching red light. Ignoring the raised speed hump pedestrian crossing and two lanes of entering traffic from the right side streets.I only noticed when looking back longer from right edge trying to locate cars and when I could take the whole lane to avoid being taken out from the side street entering traffic.Most humorous about the dangerous driving was the arrogance to leave driver's window open at the red light, so I had a couple questions to ask. Politely, as his young teen daughter was in the car, it's school holidays and "kids at work" days happening. He was still defensive, defiant, and would not acknowledge his bad driving, but hopefully his daughter is honest knows better and sets him straight and calls his BS, like his threat "obviously not going fast enough to run you over".Oddly someone from a nearby car in traffic shouted "good onya mate" I guess it was one of the people he had cut off or been tailgating around me who witnessed it all. No rear view camera, but I have the audio from the front and picked up the front wheel to get a driver's face name and shame to go with the vehicle and rego description. Video to come up later tonight and report to Police.Demographic is middle aged 50yo white male light English accent probably been here 20 years though.

This was the bike I was riding, could have been a kid, I didn't ask whether he would like people endangering his daughter in the same way.

oh, speaking of non-reflectives. Saw a guy on a dark TT bike in a black skinsuit get cut off by a car on the Corso early this morning. The guy was pretty well wound up to top speed and got quite cranky at the car driver when he had to jump on the brakes. Thing is, the ninja had no lights and was very hard to see. Can't really blame the car driver for not seeing you in that case. I see heaps of TT/tri bike setups where they have no or token blinky lights being ridden around in the dark. If only some of these guys could see just how invisible they are.

I haven't understood quantum physics yet, so I don't know how many paradigm shifts my mind will need to grapple that one =D

Point taken though, the number of apparently mature looking presumably intelligent people with expensive kit that ride around as winter ninjas... I was wondering after the same guy passed me second day in a row about the same time, how can you not know by experience or by looking up the astronomically proven into the distant futures of solar system orbit sunrise/sunset times... no bells, calls, and if I did a head check I wouldn't see anything =P

don't get me started on lights. how hard is it? charge it, put it on your bike, and turn the thing on. when the big yellow thing is in the sky, turn it off. when the yellow thing is gone and there's a white thing, turn it on again.

stats update (for everyone but comedian) - my flat bar will pass 19000kms on the way home tonight (the como's have almost 13000kms on them for those following at home)

Inter-commute report here. Failed to properly adjust Ortlieb panniers for the standby commuter, so on my way out of the Melbourne CBD up the hill on Collins St, my right pannier unclips and drops into the road. Old chap behind me fails to notice and rides right over it. Catches on his undercarriage somewhere and gets dragged along. Thankfully, the light at the intersection with Exhibition St turns red. I say, hold on mate, bag's stuck under you car. Crawl under, drag the thing out and thank him. Move across onto sidewalk and refit pannier, check contents, which include iPad, iPhone and other important bits. All good, posting this on iPad. Ortlieb barely scratched, marvelous piece of kit.Of course it was raining during this ordeal too. Duly stopped off at old local to dry off and gather wits about me again.

my none reflective's are the local long grasses, who walk amlesly along / across the bike path, ive got everything flashing from front light rear light leg light, i'm a flying ufo but that doesn't help people walking out of bushes, hate late shift, least early shift don't have that problem

also regarding a few pages back, about telling people to commute, I'm a big guy started riding at over 120kg if i can ride 1000km a month anyone can, they just choose not to! people ask how my riding is going, and i say yeap on track or managed to do so many km's this week, i'm hopping that i'm not really the normal thought of someone who does exercise is out there doing it then they can

fat guy in spandex out ps i shaved my legs for the first time this week to didn't help with my average, thing the beard is holding me back

jasonc wrote:don't get me started on lights. how hard is it? charge it, put it on your bike, and turn the thing on. when the big yellow thing is in the sky, turn it off. when the yellow thing is gone and there's a white thing, turn it on again.

stats update (for everyone but comedian) - my flat bar will pass 19000kms on the way home tonight (the como's have almost 13000kms on them for those following at home)

Can you crash them or something, the kids have got school fees due soon

jasonc wrote:don't get me started on lights. how hard is it? charge it, put it on your bike, and turn the thing on. when the big yellow thing is in the sky, turn it off. when the yellow thing is gone and there's a white thing, turn it on again.

stats update (for everyone but comedian) - my flat bar will pass 19000kms on the way home tonight (the como's have almost 13000kms on them for those following at home)

Can you crash them or something, the kids have got school fees due soon

Ha - the Como's are more likely to hurt whatever they crash into. The Bracciano's also have over 2000kms on them (suppose I'll have to look at the bearings on them too)

^^^Those kms are huge. My commuting machine is only about 3500 km now. It was Brand New a year ago. I replaced the chain once, and it looks like middle chainring also needs replacing. Not commuting today... huhuhu

Lizzy wrote: What better day for a free extra 6km due to suddenly becoming convinced for all the world I'd left the stove on. Tried to think it out & shake the urgent sense of impending doom, couldn't, turned tail and headed back to base.

I hadn't left it on. I never do!

My wife does this - all the time! Many a holiday has had a stuttered start as we've had to turn back to make sure the stove/downlights/battery charger were turned off. I'd like to say it gets better with age but I'd be lying That saying though I have come back from the supermarket to find the front door wide open - just as I'd left it

jasonc wrote:don't get me started on lights. how hard is it? charge it, put it on your bike, and turn the thing on. when the big yellow thing is in the sky, turn it off. when the yellow thing is gone and there's a white thing, turn it on again.

stats update (for everyone but comedian) - my flat bar will pass 19000kms on the way home tonight (the como's have almost 13000kms on them for those following at home)

Can you crash them or something, the kids have got school fees due soon

Ha - the Como's are more likely to hurt whatever they crash into. The Bracciano's also have over 2000kms on them (suppose I'll have to look at the bearings on them too)

You are probably right!

I'll have Bracciano bearings back in stock by May 6th. You can get some from the bearing shop but the genuine Japanese EZO ones are hard to match for quality and rolling resistance.

Well...my comute was huge this morning, total of just under 2 kilometres lol

Hopped onto the bike, rolled out the driveway and down the street, got to my first corner and thought bugger this. I had my laptop and everything I need to work from home so decided that I would work from home today. Did the block only

I did a decent ride yesterday, had a bit to much of the fine wine of this area last night and SWMBO is at home so it wasnt too hard a decision to just do the block for my commute

Wednesday afternoon's commute trials and tribulations didn't stop with the pannier detaching itself in the middle of Collins St. After heading off from my brother's place, climbing up a particularly steep hill on Macorna Rd towards the bridge over the Ring Road, the chain on my standby commuter snaps under full load. Ooof. I had just fixed the chain with a new master link with one of those clip-on plates, and exactly this link disintegrated. Phonecall to Mrs TW, who was luckily just on her way home along Plenty Rd. Walked/jogged the bike in the rain for another 1.5km to meet her at Uni Hill and load the bike into the car.

Cool and dry ride in this morning, primary commuter back in action after having the rear wheel trued. Nice bright moon this morning illuminating the path on the Darebin Creek Trail.Happy Friday!

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